All posts by : Innovations Hub Liberia

We are currently living in a technological society, and information technology is a driving factor in social development. It plays an important role in marketing, digital communications, and the day-to-day operations of organizations and institutions. However, many institutions and organizations in Liberia lack digital presence and it affects how well they can impact and share their impact stories, scale operations, and connect with possible partners and sponsors for growth opportunities, among others.

To meet this challenge, Innovations Hub Liberia designed a Coding Training in HTML, CSS, and Javascript for young IT enthusiasts looking for job creation and employment skills to serve institutions and their communities. The training is tagged “Code Fellows Program” and we provide participants a platform to gain hands-on experience in the area of frontend web development and increase their skills for job readiness. We seek to bridge the gap in job creation while empowering youth to serve meaningfully. The main purpose of the project is to expose participants to new software and technologies with coaching to make the teaching and learning environment conducive for both facilitators and participants for better performance in Web development and enhance the participants’ tech fluency.

Through our Code Fellows program and course syllabus, participants will become productively engaged and obtain valuable Frontend skills needed for the real world. There is a direct need for this form of learning, which is very expensive yet we can make it available at a low cost to bridge the digital divide across institutions and support youth with skills. We are offering this opportunity for youths to become viable and competitive in the marketplace, develop their careers, rise above poverty and contribute to national development.

Innovations Hub Liberia seeks to host a three parts Graphic Design Training in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for young IT enthusiasts and professionals looking for job creation and employment skills to serve institutions and their communities, or start a freelance business. Graphics design helps you to create your mark while also meeting the needs of your clients. iHub will provide participants a platform to gain hands-on experience in this area and increase their skills for job readiness. We seek to bridge the gap in job creation while empowering youth to live and serve meaningfully. The range comes with freedom and originality, which adds to the excitement and sharpens your talents in a variety of visual styles.
Through our Graphics Design training and course syllabus, participants will become productively engaged and obtain valuable Design skills needed for the real world. Again, there is a direct need for this form of learning, which is very expensive yet we can avail it at a low cost to bridge the digital divide across institutions and support youth with skills. We offer all our training as an opportunity for youths to become viable and competitive in the marketplace, develop their careers, rise above poverty and contribute to national development.

In today’s world, information technology is a critical component of any country’s prosperity. In recognition of the aforementioned in Liberia, the Ministry of Education as the official regulatory body for secondary schools has made computers a compulsory subject for secondary school students even though schools are left to decide what content to teach their students. Unfortunately, the cost attached to acquiring computer-related equipment and skilled teachers inhibits many schools and underprivileged kids from obtaining in-demand digital skills.
Most high schools still do not have a computer laboratory setup. A laboratory will provide students a platform to gain on-hands experience with technology and increase their skills for job readiness. It is that gap that Innovations Hub Liberia seeks to bridge by supporting the establishment of fully functional computer labs across selected Junior and Senior High schools in Montserrado County. The main purpose of the project is to set up a fully air-conditioned and wireless internet-accessed eResearch computer lab for training to make the teaching and learning environment conducive for both instructors and students for better performance in research and enhance the students’ skills in computers. In addition, iHub Liberia has designed its own result-oriented high school computer curriculum and intends to train and subsidize salaries for the hired teacher.
Through our computer lab and computer curriculum, students will become productively engaged and obtain valuable computer skills needed for the real world.
Our computer laboratory will provide a learning and research environment with access to computer equipment, printers, and the Internet where students can gain the computer skills needed to be successful and secure better jobs in the future. We believe that with this our secondary school kids can become computer literate.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 led to the closure of educational institutions all over the world. Such closure accelerated the development concept of the online learning environments within those institutions so that learning would not be disrupted. High schools and universities were closed worldwide and forced the introduction of remote learning. The coronavirus pandemic tested the readiness of institutions and trainers to deal with a crisis that required online and remote measures.
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed schools, higher education institutions, and training providers online to ensure that effective learning continues. While technology can facilitate seamless migration of face-to-face learning to a virtual platform, accessibility to quality digital content is crucial, especially during the movement control, but the delay for higher learning instructions to implement remote systems led to depriving students and professionals to explore new knowledge. The rising need to provide a learning environment for students during this pandemic pushed Innovations Hub Liberia to design and implement our Virtual Learning Program. Launched on the 17th of April and climaxed on the 4th of August 2020, Innovations Hub Liberia Virtual Learning Program trained and certificated 208 participants across 5 cohorts. From an initial 4 courses in the root cohort to 15 available courses across the rest of the program’s lifespan. These courses were offered for as low as $500 Liberian Dollars and as high as $1,000 Liberian Dollars.
Since the program was designed to enable distance learning during the period of social distancing; we considered the high cost of the internet and the limited access to electricity, and tailored the training straightly for impact-driven with a specific topic focus to account for the time and resource. The program was taught using Zoom with 24/7 support on WhatsApp. Each of the five program cohorts lasted for a duration of 2 intensive weeks.

As an emerging venture, iHub Liberia was able to successfully conduct two in-person boot camps using the Youth Crime Watch of Liberia computer lab prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

These hands-on intensive Bootcamp classes were designed to provide participants with essential tools and techniques to design, develop, and manage professional websites. For over 6 weeks of instructor-led training, we provided participants with the concepts and skills to use HTML5, CSS3, and jQuery effectively.

Participants acquire hands-on practical skills from basic through advanced techniques to get the most out of their experience. They learned the basics of coding for web design, beginning with HTML and CSS and advancing to more complex HTML5 and JavaScript fundamentals. The syllabus was designed to teach the easiest way to learn modern web design, HTML5, and CSS3 step-by-step from scratch. The program approach enabled learners with little coding proficiency to focus on the most important aspects of coding and immediately apply their new coding skills to solve real-world problems. We successfully trained 27 young Liberians in two separate coding boot camps before the COVID-19 outbreak in Liberia.